st.mary somerset, london

the tower of wren's church of 1686-94 overlooks upper thames street, making a proud show with its crown of pinnacles, obelisks and vases and with swags and grotesques over the windows. the body of the church was demolished in 1871, and the tower only missed the same fate due to lobbying led by the architect ewan christian, which managed to get an act of parliament passed to spare the tower.